Fujiko A Fujio, the 88-year-old co-creator of the popular Doraemon manga, passed away in his home on 7 April, according to Nikkei Asia.
Fujio’s real name is Motoo Abiko, collapsed at home and the authorities then received an alert, and when they arrived at his house, Abiko was found unresponsive, according to SoraNews24.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, and no significant injuries were found on his body; the cause of his death is still under investigation.
Doraemon
Doraemon was created by Abiko and his childhood friend, Hiroshi Fujimoto, under the pen name Fujiko Fujio.
Their partnership ended in 1987, and Fujimoto continued to create works for children, while Abiko targeted a more mature audience.
Fujimoto later died in 1996.
According to Kyodo News, Doraemon grew in popularity again during the Covid-19 pandemic due to school closures, with more than 5 million copies of the manga, as well as other publications, being printed up to November 2020.
Image source: Nippon TV News 24 Japan on YouTube and Kiss Cartoon